India, Nov. 4 -- Increasing your steps by even a little bit may help slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease among people at heightened risk, according to a new study.

In a paper published in Nature Medicine, Mass General Brigham researchers found that physical activity was associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older adults with elevated levels of amyloid-beta, a protein associated with Alzheimer's.

Cognitive decline was delayed by three years on average for people who walked just 3,000-5,000 steps per day, and by seven years in people who walked 5,000-7,500 steps per day, the study said.

Sedentary individuals had a significantly faster buildup of tau proteins in the brain and more rapid declines in cognition an...